Dark Perfection
by IcyVeins
Summary: Bella is Fork's sweetheart. She's beautiful, kind, thoughtful. Not a single person truly hates her. A perfect family. But she also bears two terrible secrets; abuse and a murder she must like about. Because after all, perfection isn't always what it seems. But secrets never stay quiet for long. She only hopes it gets out before she meets an untimely end.
1. Preface

A beautiful smile graces the lips of Isabella Swan, Forks High's sweetheart.

She walks the hallway dressed in a simple pair of skinny jeans, a long-sleeve shirt that accentuates her curves without being too bold, her hair in a messy bun, and a pair of dirty converse finish her attire.

Just a simple look but it draws the eyes of the boys, who pant over her. A shy look flashes across her eyes and one might say she's being coy as she hugging her chemistry book to her chest and walks to class, her group taking up most of the space in the hallway.

Bella doesn't seem to match them; Jessica Stanley and Lauren Mallory are clad in expensive dresses and heels far too high for the rainy weather outside. Their faces are touched up with only the best of the best and they flaunt their beauty and wealth with little regard. She's aware of their shallow nature and what they strive for. But she tolerates it. After all, she's far too fond of the old memories to disregard them as quickly as they do.

Angela Webber is quite the opposite. She's a rather shy girl, very studious, she really only focuses on getting into a good college. A friend as old as time and almost like a sister. Much like Alice Cullen who she has known since she was in diapers. Alice, much like Jessica and Lauren, is completely aware of her beauty and wealth though she doesn't flaunt it. And, unlike those two, she was liked for her naturally bubbly personality.

Bella shakes her head at their antics as she reaches her class, waving them goodbye as she walks toward her seat. A pinch of pain startles her as she lowers herself onto her chair and she breathes through it.

It was a pain she was used to.

As the lights tune down and the video begins to play, Bella clenches her side. The pain seems particularly worse together and she bits her lip to hold in the tears.

"Hey, Bella," Mike Newton whispers in a hiss, leaning back from his seat in front of her.

"Yeah?" she smiles through the pain, like always.

"Party at my place Friday night. I was wondering if you wanted to come?" he asked, his boyish grin cute.

But she didn't have a thing for Mike Newton like most people believed. Why, she didn't understand. But she preferred that over anything else.

She glances over at him and plasters on her sweetest smile, "I'll think about it, Mike. Family dinners are Friday."

The lie flows like liquid, it was so easy.

Mike pouts a bit but nods, "Can't pressure the Chief's kid."

He leans forward again and she notices his shoulders drop. He'd been trying a lot harder this year and her constant excuses gave everyone reason to believe she was either too shy to say yes or too worried her father might say something as he is the Chief of Police. She was okay with letting them believe that.

She just truly wasn't interested and didn't know how to let him down easily.

When the bells rings, she's up on her feet and walking out of class, heading toward the cafeteria. Much like everyday, she fights the feelings of discomfort and anxiety as she enters the room booming with sounds of conversation. Bella grabs a tray loaded with a pizza, a small salad, a banana, and water. Not much, and not very filling, but she knew better than to fill her stomach completely.

Seated at her regular spot, the noise around her rises and she focuses on her food, occasionally piping in. Alice talks her ear off on her latest shopping spree and about the outfits she'd planned for every for Mike's party.

"You're coming, right?" Lauren interrupts the conversation, staring directly at Bella.

Suddenly, all the attention is on her again and her cheeks flair with bright redness.

"Family dinner, remember?" she whispers in a meek voice, shrugging her shoulders in a "what can you do" manner.

Lauren rolls her heavily-linered eyes, "Of course. Come on, Bella. You can't be so boring. You won't be top of the food chain around here if you don't attend all events."

Bella held back a sigh, finishing her salad, taking a sip of water.

"Totally uncalled for," Alice glares at Lauren who simply holds up her hands in defense.

"It's true. She walks around thinking she's untouchable. There's a new crowd rising through the ranks. And she's gonna be dethroned."

As the conversation continues, Bella retreats into herself, her mind much too full. With thoughts, arguments, memories. All she can think about was that night, just a few weeks ago.

The night her mother died.

It replays in her memory and it appears at the worst times. She doesn't want to remember. Just forget.

But the emotions that come with it overpower her and she finds herself standing up. Everything is going slow around her. As if the farther she walks, the slower time goes. Alice calls out after her but she pays her no heed.

When she reaches the door, she slams them open.

Her breath is hard, shaky.

She can't think anymore.

Why did this happen so suddenly?

She finds herself outside, the uncontrollable sobs taking over her small frame as she hangs onto the wall, toward the front of the school. All she sees in her mind is her mother's lifeless form. Filled with pain, sadness, regret.

Pain from the beatings Charlie had given her.

Sadness for what her life had become.

Regret because she couldn't spare her daughter.

Bella sobbed into her hands, the tears like a river. She couldn't breathe at all. Her chest felt suffocated.

How did one live knowing that her father had killed her mother?


	2. Quiet

Bella's slumber is disturbed by the loud racket coming from downstairs. When her eyes crack open, she sees it's just a little past five in the morning and Charlie is up. The sun has yet to rise so all she can feel is the darkness and the cold seeping in through the window. She sighs heavily, pulling on a sweater as she walks down the hall. She knows better than to mess with the heater so she simply bears the frigid cold.

By the time she steps foot in the kitchen, Charlie has given up on his attempt at breakfast and turns his glazed eyes over to his daughter.

"Make some damn breakfast!" he slurs, shoving her as he walks by, heading down to the living room.

This week has been particularly bad. He took four of his vacation days, which means he spends the day drinking and when she comes home, he's far more violent. Not he isn't when he has a normal schedule.

Bella rubs her arms, wincing over the bruises, and walks to the fridge, taking out the eggs, bacon, and orange juice. The smell is overwhelming and it's the one thing she enjoys. Charlie never interrupts her when she's cooking, only because he doesn't want to burn the house down should he hit her and oil spills. It was a bit far-fetched to her but she didn't complain. Anything that kept her from being any more bruised.

When she's done, she sets his breakfast in front of him and quietly walks back to the kitchen, eating her food. Mornings are usually the only time the house is quiet. Any other part of the day is usually filled with angry rants, threats, or arguments with his girlfriend. She doesn't live with him, but she might as well.

Bella washes her plate quickly and rushes upstairs. It was only the second week of school but she had already decided that this year, her final year, she would be leaving early, and going to the public library. She had excellent grades and she was going to do everything she could to get a scholarship away from Washington. Anywhere was far better than this.

By the time she showers and dresses, it's just a little past six. Great timing. Bella gives herself a smile in the mirror, much like she does every morning. Pretend the pain isn't there and she won't think about it.

She nods to herself and grabs her bag, heading out the door. As she passes Charlie, she sees he's, again, passed out. The beer bottle is empty and the plate of food is untouched.

A sigh escapes her and then she's outside, heading for the truck he'd bought her. It wasn't out of the kindness of his heart; he didn't want to be driving her to the grocery store and back.

The truck is old, far older than most cars in Forks. And it's distinctive rusty color and sputtering engine usually alerts everyone that Bella Swan is nearby. She slides into the truck, shutting the door and turning it on, allowing it to warm up. As she waits, she scrolls through her phone at the messages she'd received from the group chat. A group made up of Lauren, Jessica, Alice, Angela, Tanya, Irina, her younger sister, Rosalie, Mike, Eric, Tyler, Emmett, Jasper, and Edward.

Bella doesn't understand why she is even apart of it. Tanya has become queen bee in the last two years and has "dethroned" Bella. Not that she really cared for it. Bella was glad when someone else took over. She didn't, and still doesn't, like the attention.

The messages range from clothing to parties and the hangovers they were experiencing to the summer that has finished. Bella shakes her head and turns the screen off, starting the truck, heading down the quiet road.


	3. Smile

The library is silent and empty when Bella walks in, glancing around. She's sitting in her usual spot; a corner in the back, nestled between the books of fiction. The place where she goes to disappear. To forget the world she lives in, the pain she feels, the sadness that suffocates her.

She leans her head back and she listens to the quiet sound of rain. It's comforting, almost like a hug. She sniffles a bit and she grabs her current read. Within it's weathered pages is the note she wrote.

It was so well written, the wording absolutely perfect. She's spent two years writing this note and it's everything that needs to be said. Countless pieces of paper wasted because she couldn't figure it out but now she has. And it's what she wants them to find. Well, not them.

Only one person.

The person she's loved for so long yet doesn't speak to.

A sigh escapes her and she wipes her tears. The time has passed and when her phone reads ten till seven, she's not in a hurry. Bella collects her things and heads out to her truck, slipping in quickly. Her tears are silent as she glances out her window. The weather today is perfect. Once she pulls into the school's parking lot, she wipes her tears and applies her makeup. Her bruises are hidden, her cuts are disguised, and her smile is a mask.

When she steps out of the truck, she nods at a few people who wave. Though she may not rule the school, she's universally liked. Everyone knows the Chief's daughter. Well, they don't know her. Not the real her.

Not the one who cries every night.

By the time she arrives at her locker, Alice and and Angela have met up with her. It's routine. They meet at seven at Bella's locker and walk to the cafeteria for a breakfast Bella won't eat. After all, today she gave herself a real breakfast.

A final meal before death.

The day is going by so quickly, much too quickly. Bella has spent the day actively talking, which isn't usually normal for her. She's gossiped, giggled, laughed. She wants them to remember her like this. Happy, smiling, good.

Not broken like Charlie would most likely leave her.

And when the day is over, Bella feels good. This has been a genuinely good day. Something she hasn't feel since the before her mother was murdered.

She sets out to her car, waving at a few people. As she looks around, she catches a glance of someone familiar. She doesn't think too much about it. She crawls into her truck and drives off, her engine sputtering. She takes the long way; a secluded back road toward her favorite spot.

Their spot.

She parks her car alongside the road; no one will find it until it's much too late.

When she begins her hike, she reflects on everything.

The note doesn't give much instruction. But the one left on her vanity lets everyone know what will be going to who. Her vanity and finest dresses to Alice. Her collection of books to Angela. Her quilts and pillows to the orphanage.

She hopes they find the box beneath her bed. The box with the pictures of bruises. Marks on her skin left by Charlie. She hopes they will do what she was too weak to do.

Fight.

Bella's heart is beating fast in her chest as she arrives at her meadow. It's filled with beautiful flowers, so many she can't remember the names. Some are purple, red, white, yellow. The meadow is beautiful even on this dark day.

She sits down in the middle, the smell of rain filling her senses. A smile slips across her face as she pulls out the bottle of pills from her bag. They were Charlie's; strong pain medication for a bullet wound he'd received the previous year. She had hoped, with everything in her, that he would die from complications.

And when he'd opened his eyes, any shred of hope she had disappeared.

Bella takes a handful of pills, at least fifteen. He had so many because he didn't want to poison his body with pills. Only alcohol.

She lays back, the soft bed of flowers and grass giving her comfort. Her dark eyes gaze up at the sky and when the first drop of rain hits her, she sobs with joy. This was far more peaceful than she imagined.

It doesn't take long for the effects to kick in.

Her body becomes numb and all the pain she feels, the physical, emotional, mental, it all floats away. She's left empty and it's a beautiful sensation because she can't remember the last time her body and mind didn't hurt.

When her sight begins to darken, she doesn't close her eyes. She fixes her eyes on the sky, the rumble of thunder, the flash of lightning.

All she can think about is her mother.

They will be reunited once again.

And with the picture of her mother's smile in her mind, she closes her eyes.


	4. Accept

When Edward Cullen finds the body of Bella Swan, she's soaked from rain. Her skin is cold and her lips are turning blue. He doesn't know how long she's been lying there, cold, alone.

Dead.

He can't find a pulse and the chest compressions don't seem to be helping. Tears of panic are in his eyes and he's calling out her name. He's cursing himself for ever leaving her. For disappearing on her after their kiss. For rejecting her when she told him she loved him. He felt the same, still does.

But she was only sixteen at the time and he had just turned twenty. Even if they had known each other their entire lives, he knew it was wrong. He had been waiting. Waiting until he could tell her the truth; his feelings, why he ran.

And now?

Well, he was too late.

He screams in agony as his shaking fingers dial 911. His words are urgent and when they hear the name Bella Swan, they rush over. It doesn't take more than ten minutes for them to arrive and by then, the rain has been pouring harder. Edward tries to cover her body, placing his jacket across her body, but it doesn't seem to help.

His hands grip hers and he feels it. A piece of paper.

When he slips it out of her hand, he covers it with the jacket, reading the words.

 _If you find this Edward,_

 _My mother didn't commit suicide._

 _Charlie murdered her and hid her body._

 _There's a box beneath my bed with evidence._

 _Save me like I couldn't save myself._

 _I love you._

 _-Bella._

The words fill him with a haunting sensation and when the E.M.T.S find them, he steps away. Anger and shock boil through his body. Charlie Swan did this? He was the reason why a precious soul was gone?

And suddenly, it all makes sense.

In a sick, twisted, way only fate can understand, he found out too late. He can only help her in death.

How did he never notice?

Was it the way she was quick to smile that threw him off? Her gentle laugh? The way she lifted everyone's spirits?

But can someone so kind, so sweet, be suffering so much in silence? How did she hide it?

How did no one see the mask hiding a world of pain?

Edward's hands are trembling as he walks through the tree line, her bulky truck parked in front of his. He gets in his car and follows the ambulance. He knows it's dangerous to go as fast as them, especially in the rain, but he won't be leaving her side.

Not again.

When they arrive, Carlisle Cullen, Edward's adoptive father, is waiting.

"Isabella Swan, eighteen-year-old female. Apparent suicide attempt. Coded twice," one of the EMT's explains in a rapid fire and all Edward can retain is 'coded twice'.

As she's taken away, Edward stays put in front of the hospital doors. The rain is pouring around him and his hand his wrapped around her note. He still doesn't understand. How could someone he loved so fiercely, someone he admired, be suffering so much and not tell anyone?

Was it to protect the people around her?

Fear?

Of course it was fear.

He feels ridiculous thinking it could anything else.

But he still doesn't understand.

He can't accept it.

He won't.


	5. Her Mask

The original cause of death for Renee Swan was suicide.

She was found next to an empty pill bottle of pain medication and a bottle of whiskey.

No one questioned it because Renee had a history of mental illness and depression.

The true cause of death is blunt force trauma to the head and strangulation. No marks were found on the body because Charlie Swan had her in a headlock and held on after she had lost consciousness.

The town of Forks is in a state of shock.

Their precious Chief, so kind and helpful, a man who was an upstanding citizen and had helped countless children out of abusive households, was a murderer and a violent man himself. His wife lost her life trying to protect their daughter.

And their daughter?

She lies on life support, struggling to live, after attempting to kill herself to escape the monster she was forced to call her father.

No one can understand how she hid this.

How Charlie Swan hid all of it.

The only thing they do now is gather outside the hospital, lighting candles and praying for the recovery of Isabella Swan.

And as Edward Cullen looks down on them from her room, he shakes his head. Only now that they see it do they truly care. No one was there to help her, not even him. Her friends were clueless and they spent the most time with her. Even his own sister Alice doesn't understand. And as she cries over her best friend, she knows there isn't anything she can do.

She had seen her best friend smiling, laughing, even invited her to sleepovers that she'd gone to once or twice when Charlie was out of town. Bella appeared completely normal and that hurts Alice the most. To know now how much her best friend was suffering. To see the bruises and scars on her legs and arms because she can no longer wear long sleeves to hide them.

The marks on her throat are the worst. Fingerprints wrapped around her pale throat, the bruises a stark contrast. A deep, ugly purple. How many times had he done that? Choked her? Nearly killed her?

"She'll wake up. I know it," Alice whispers tearfully, hugging the limp arm of her best friend.

No, she won't.

Edward knows this. And it pains him to see her.

Even on her deathbed, he can't look at her.

This isn't who he fell in love with.

Because he fell in love with her mask.


	6. Perfect

Charlie Swan was arrested and indicted with charges on child abuse, neglect, domestic abuse, and murder.

He won't be leaving prison.

The town, in the face of this, is glad to know he is behind bars where he can never harm another soul again.

But they face another tragedy.

The death of Isabella Marie Swan.

She passed in the arms of her best friend and the man she loved two days after the man who caused her pain was sent away.

Bella Swan did not get to see her abuser be put away.

But she died knowing she would see her sweet mother once again.

On the day of her funeral most, if not all, of the town is in attendance. Standing in place for her family is Alice and Edward with their parents, Carlisle and Esme Cullen. Alice can't seem to stop her tears and she's shaking with sobs.

Edward, he can't seem to let himself cry.

His tears, though they burn within his eyes, won't fall.

The 'it' group of Forks High is there, standing in the second row. Their share equal looks of sadness and their tears are almost offensive. After all, hadn't they been the ones to spread rumors about Bella? The ones who gossiped behind her back because her clothes were far too simple? Her hair a mess?

Because all she wore were long sleeve shirts?

But now, with that in their memories, they know they failed. They know now why she hid herself behind clothes far too baggy for her, too warm even for a day that warranted a short sleeve shirt. Guilt is all they feel and they will remember this day for the rest of their lives.

For mocking someone so helpless when all she needed was help.

Angela Webber is crying softly and when she hugs Alice, they fall apart together.

The only true friends Bella had in a world that had been far too cruel to her.

When they visit her casket to see her one last time, Alice and Angela approach her together. They squeeze her cold hands crossed over her chest. Bella looks angelic.

Her brown hair is arranged around her face and she bares little makeup. Alice knew how much Bella detested the stuff and now she knew why. It hid her bruises from them.

As Edward steps up to her, the last person left, pain pierces his heart. She's frozen in time; Seventeen.

She will never age, never graduate to attend college. Never leave this ridiculous town and be free to travel. Never to have a family of her own.

He touches her hair gently and places a kiss on her cold lips.

And then he closes the casket, printing one last image of her in his mind.

She had been perfect and he was never going to forget that.


	7. Epilogue

**Ten Years Later**

 _Isabella Marie Swan_

 _September 13, 2000 - September 12, 2018_

 _Loving daughter_

 _A soul taken too young._

One more day and she would've been eighteen.

Edward Cullen visits her grave every year.

Bella's death changed everyone.

Alice runs a company dedicated to helping domestic abuse survivors restart their lives and get help.

Angela Webber is a social worker.

Edward is a police officer.

Bella Swan died because no one saw the signs, no one was there to help.

And though they can't bring her back, they have dedicated their lives to make sure no one else has to suffer in silence like she did.

"Daddy?"

Carla's voice is small and when Edward looks down at her, he sighs sadly.

"Who is that?"

He bends down to her level, hugging his small daughter.

"This was an old friend of mine. She was very special. Your middle name was her name."

"Belle?" her eyes widen.

He chuckles softly, "Sort of. Her name is Isabella so I we shortened it to belle."

"What happened to her?"

Carla's large eyes look up at her father, twinkling with curiosity.

"Well, someone very bad hurt her for a long time. And she didn't know how to ask for help because she didn't want anyone else to get hurt. But now she's free and the bad man who hurt her will never hurt anyone again."

Carla nods and she walks forward, kissing her hand and pressing it against the tombstone.

"Feel better."

Edward smiles and he fights his sadness as he carries up his daughter and walks back to his car.

He would visit her again next year.


End file.
